Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Frazier.
Hi Isaac, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
The story of SUPERKO:
“Hello! Welcome to SUPERKO. My name is Isaac. What’s your name?” is what you will hear when you walk into my store– SUPERKO! I love art, games, and most of all, I enjoy meeting new people every day. This is the story of how art, games, and community created a perfect storm that would change my life forever.
In the spring of 2025, I received an acceptance letter to my preferred doctoral program. I had a year before my first semester, and I needed to make some money to pay for tuition. Being a fan of Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and board games since elementary school, my idea was an online store where I could sell trading cards and board games. I had previously operated an online shop selling RC cars, but I figured trading cards would be easier to ship in the mail. Upon application to a number of TCG distributors, I found out that a requirement of opening a distributor account is to have a brick-and-mortar store. I found the cheapest location on the market. Luckily, this location in West Valley City had virtually no competition. My goal was simple: make enough money to cover 5 years of graduate school tuition. While I had a business plan designed specifically to scale the business from the start, I had no idea what kind of adventures were to come.
I remodeled the first location and set up SUPERKO 1.0. We had so much fun hosting tournaments, selling products, and interacting with the amazing local players who came weekly to show support. I would come to find that the old saying “Build it, and they will come”– was a threat. Store traffic and event attendance grew until seating was absolutely maxed out. By 6 months, we had no choice but to find a larger location to meet the demand. I must emphasize that the outstanding community of TCG players and board game fans in West Valley City is truly a hidden gem of its own. I realized that my plan to operate an online store was not enough on its own; a greater opportunity had presented itself. As one who frequents card shops as a customer, I had the ability to make my store everything I loved about card shops, and to revolutionize the concept of a game store overall. I decided that the new space would not only be a larger store; we were setting out to create the mythical “third space.” A third space, as a concept, means a place that is not home or work, but a space to exist and have fun, even without the expectation of making a purchase.
The transition to the new space was not without challenges. I didn’t want to close the store for any amount of time, because that would cost us even more money. Fortunately, I was able to lease a retail space available just a few doors down from the first location. To save costs. I painted and remodeled as much as I could on my own and then hired contractors for things that needed professional experience. During the transition, we had a special event for a popular game with over 50 people in attendance. We couldn’t fit in the old space, and the new space was still being remodeled. We had to improvise and ended up moving all of our tables and chairs into the unfinished space. While I was worried about how an event under such circumstances would be received, the participants all remarked how fun and novel it was to play games in an unfinished store. They had a blast! I have included a picture of this event.
Now, SUPERKO 2.0 is officially open for business. We continue to grow in community and sales each month. We are always looking for ways to provide access to community, art, and friendly competition.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been smooth in some ways, rocky in others. I entered this industry during one of the wildest bull runs of all time. Everything was expensive– if not sold out. I thought that becoming a store would grant me unfettered access to all of the hottest products. This was not the case, and I had dues to pay before I was even allowed to request Pokémon products. I have been CEO, CFO, COO, and Manager all at the same time. Nowadays, I have a full team and a somewhat lighter workload. I have learned some tough lessons along the way. People are the greatest resource, and also the most difficult to manage. Fortunately, I have an outstanding team of employees, and a community of regulars powering the soul of the business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Psychology (2025). I started the business as a means to pay for my doctoral program. I am self-employed, and after I graduate with my PSYD I will open a private therapy practice.
I would describe my specialty as people and sales. You can put me in front of any human being, and I will find a way to reach them. I have been told that I have an outstanding ability to connect with people and be candid/authentic. I have over 10 years in sales experience, and I am proud of my ability to make sales, trades, and deals. I am quick at mental math and can quickly and accurately identify value, ROI, etc.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
There is a quote by Carl Jung that I keep coming back to. “No matter how isolated you are and how lonely you feel, if you do your work truly and conscientiously, unknown friends will come and seek you.” Time and again, I find that I meet the right person at the right time, and it makes the business better.
My best advice to card shop owners is to greet all of your customers. People give us feedback all the time; how can we improve, and what we do well. More than anything else, people tell us that they choose to play games at SUPERKO because they feel welcome and invited to play.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://superkocards.com
- Instagram: @superkocards
- Facebook: superko cards
